Salvation Army
The Story: The Salvation Army wanted a souvenir gift for their 150th Anniversary celebrations at the O2 Exhibition in London. In 1891 the founder, William Booth, opened a matchbox factory to highlight the plight of women and children working in appalling factory conditions at the time. The factory revolutionised wages and working conditions in the matchbox industry.
The Matchbox: The Salvation Army wanted to recreate the matchbox from that factory. Using a very tattered copy of the original design and colours we restored the artwork to its full glory. The box was covered in political messages and statements about fair wages and working conditions.
The Details: Inside we had a customised torch keyring to go with the 'Lights in Darkest England' message and a miniature recreation of War Cry, the Salvation Army newspaper which had the story of the original Matchbox Factory workers. We also had a prayer card with a copy of William Booth's signature.
